Way back when I started shaving I would just load up the brush on top of the soap in my one mug and then go to facelathering. I've tried various lather bowls since then and have found that facelathering just works best for me. Plus I have less clutter on my small bathroom countertop.

I prefer my Schwarzwisskeramik scuttle for the bigger brushes and the modified Ayars/Bonnyman lather bowl for the smaller brushes. Using the lather bowl, however, is in conjunction with the small Moss scuttle — the lather is transferred into the Moss scuttle, where I also tuck away my lathery brush to keep things warm.

Occasionally I face lather, especially with my Simpson Chubby, and the Rooney Heritage, which has to be the densest brush on earth. Now and then I also face lather with the Semogue 830 boar brush and a couple other ones.

I also face lather when traveling, using a Simpson travel brush and a soap stick. I wet my face, draw a few lines on it in various directions with the soap stick and then face lather with a moist brush — gently shaken three times. After that life is all smiles.